Mental Health in Adolescents

Mental health problems are prolific in students who are under the age of 18. Some mental health problems that are common are anxiety and depression. However, the most common problem is probably anxiety and stress. These stress problems are greatly affected by school. Anxiety and stress can increase from school for many reasons. School work affects mental health because it adds stress and pressure on students to do well with these things. Studying for tests and doing homework can take a long time which will cause students to stay up later and get less sleep. Sleep is very important because it helps rest the mind. Without enough sleep, students will have less ways to relieve stress and fully rest their bodies for the next day. Furthermore, a negative school environment, with bullying and cruelty, will decrease the wellness of student’s minds. Meanwhile, a positive school environment will allow students to succeed and be in good mental health. There is also academic stress. This comes from school work and pressure from parents and other adults watching over the students. This stress and anxiety can make it harder for students to excel in school and can cause many mental health problems. Anxiety and stress that isn’t related to school, also affects school in this way. It makes it harder for students to think and perform properly with their education. 

Luckily there are ways to cope with anxiety and stress in school. Many organizations have been created to help people with mental health problems, but they also cater to students who require aid. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Mental Health America are just some of the many organizations dedicated to helping people in need. There are also ways for students, teachers, and parents to change to help the students. Students can manage their time and ask for help so they won’t be overwhelmed with their education. Parents can help their children whenever they need it. Lastly, teachers can have a better understanding and relationship with their students. They need to make sure that their students fully understand their lessons and need to create an environment that everyone can feel comfortable in. There are many things that can help students with anxiety and stress associated with school. 

What is especially needed to help these students is understanding and actually knowing everything that is vital about mental health problems in adolescents. It is important for people, including teachers and students, to understand why students have these problems and how to cope with them. That is why my group is doing Mental Health Day. This event will help raise awareness about mental health problems in an engaging way. Since it is organized by students, the activities will be fun for people who are in 8th grade. The day will be organized in a very specific way. Each period a new activity will be assigned and for P.E. class there will be a separate activity for them. 

The activities will be interesting and engaging. However, it would be helpful to get ideas directly from the students on what would be fun for them. You can fill out a Google Form to vote on which activities you would like to do. This is very important because the activities need to be entertaining in order for them to be effective for the students. 

Mental health issues in students are very prominent. Anxiety and stress are some of the biggest problems students face. There are many organizations catered to helping students with mental health issues and there are things parents and teachers can do to help. There are also ways students can help themselves, and additional ways for parents and teachers to aid. There is also much more to be learned about mental health. These topics will be covered during Mental Health Day.